Electrical plug in fragrance dispensers are electrical devices that typically include a light bulb or other heating element for providing heat that melts wax or heats oil containing a fragrance. These dispensers are typically configured to plug into a wall outlet for powering the light bulb or other heating element.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a typical prior art electrical plug in fragrance dispenser 100, which is also referred to as a “dispenser” for simplicity. Dispenser 100 includes an electrical housing 101 that is configured to plug into an electrical outlet 110, which is also referred to more simply as an “outlet.” Dispenser 100 also includes a decorative component 102 with a bowl-like top surface in which wax or oil is placed. Decorative component 102 is configured to attach to electrical housing 101 so that the decorative component 102 surrounds a light bulb. In the configuration employed by dispenser 100, decorative component 102 extends upwardly from electrical housing 101. However, in other configurations, the decorative component 102 may extend downwardly from the electrical housing 101.
Various problems exist with these typical prior art electrical plug in fragrance dispensers. For example, as is shown in FIG. 1, decorative component 102 is relatively large and heavy. Because of this and the fact that electrical housing 101 is only secured to the wall by the two or three prongs that insert into outlet 110, dispenser 100 can easily be knocked off the wall which may result in the spilling of the heated wax or oil.
For similar reasons, dispenser 100 may sag from outlet 110 which is aesthetically undesirable. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in prior art dispenser designs, electrical housing 101 and at least portions of outlet 110 remain visible during use of dispenser 100. Therefore, even though decorative component 102 provides some aesthetic benefits, many consumers feel that the overall appearance of the dispenser 100 is unsatisfactory.
Also, in many prior art dispenser designs, the decorative component 102 is not removable from the electrical housing 101. Therefore, if the consumer desires a different decorative design, he or she must discard the entire dispenser 100 rather than being able to replace only the decorative component 102.